Acupuncture for Substance Abuse Treatment in the Dowtown Eastside of Vancouver

Janssen, Patricia A.; Whynot, Elizabeth M.

doi:10.1093/jurban/jti054

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 11 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…Women in our study who were non-compliant most often told the acupuncturist that they were "too busy" to receive a treatment, although there was no apparent reason to be busy on the hospital ward. In a previous study of acupuncture in a non-pregnant population, the authors demonstrated a reduction in use of illicit drugs among participants who came consistently for acupuncture, but only 15 percent of attendees to the clinic remained compliant [34]. Non-compliance further limits our study by reducing the number of exposed subjects in our study arm and thus our power to detect differences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…There is also emerging evidence of correlations between connective tissue anatomy, microcirculatory blood flow, and acupuncture needling points [31]. Acupuncture in the context of addiction is still relatively new [32][33][34][35]. Acupuncture points are cutaneous areas containing relatively large concentrations of free nerve endings [36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Acupuncture points are cutaneous areas containing relatively large concentrations of free nerve endings [36]. The acupuncture stimulus is transmitted to the spinal cord by afferent peripheral nerves [34]. Acupuncture is believed to stimulate the release of endorphins [37] from the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Auricular acupuncture for chemically dependent pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial of the NADA protocol

Janssen¹,

Kelly²,

Thiessen³

et al. 2013

Deutsche Zeitschrift für Akupunktur

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Background: The prevalence of maternal drug use during pregnancy in North America has been estimated to be as high as 6-10%. The consequences for the newborn include increased risk for perinatal mortality and ongoing physical, neurobehavioral, and psychosocial problems. Methadone is frequently used to wean women off street drugs but is implicated as a cause of adverse fetal/neonatal outcomes itself. The purpose of our study was to test the ability of maternal acupuncture treatment among mothers who use illicit drugs to reduce the frequency and severity of withdrawal symptoms among their newborns. Methods: We randomly assigned chemically dependent pregnant women at BC Women's Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia to daily acupuncture treatments versus usual care. By necessity, neither our participants nor acupuncturists were blinded as to treatment allocation. Our primary outcome was days of neonatal morphine treatment for symptoms of neonatal withdrawal. Secondary neonatal outcomes included admission to a neonatal ICU and transfer to foster care. Results: We randomized 50 women to acupuncture and 39 to standard care. When analyzed by randomized groups, we did not find benefit of acupuncture; the average length of treatment with morphine for newborns in the acupuncture group was 2.7 (6.3) compared to 2.8 (7.0) in the control group. Among newborns of women who were compliant with the acupuncture regime, we observed a reduction of 2.1 and 1.5 days in length of treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome compared to the non-compliant and control groups, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Acupuncture may be a safe and feasible treatment to assist mothers to reduce their dosage of methadone. Our results should encourage ongoing studies to test the ability of acupuncture to mitigate the severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome among their newborns. Clinical Trial Registration: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov registry: W05-0041

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Auricular acupuncture for chemically dependent pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial of the NADA protocol

Janssen¹,

Kelly²,

Thiessen³

et al. 2013

Deutsche Zeitschrift für Akupunktur

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show abstract

“…Women in our study who were non-compliant most often told the acupuncturist that they were “too busy” to receive a treatment, although there was no apparent reason to be busy on the hospital ward. In a previous study of acupuncture in a non-pregnant population, the authors demonstrated a reduction in use of illicit drugs among participants who came consistently for acupuncture, but only 15 percent of attendees to the clinic remained compliant [34]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Auricular acupuncture for chemically dependent pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial of the NADA protocol

Janssen

Demorest

Kelly³

et al. 2012

Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy

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BackgroundThe prevalence of maternal drug use during pregnancy in North America has been estimated to be as high as 6-10%. The consequences for the newborn include increased risk for perinatal mortality and ongoing physical, neurobehavioral, and psychosocial problems. Methadone is frequently used to wean women off street drugs but is implicated as a cause of adverse fetal/neonatal outcomes itself. The purpose of our study was to test the ability of maternal acupuncture treatment among mothers who use illicit drugs to reduce the frequency and severity of withdrawal symptoms among their newborns.MethodsWe randomly assigned chemically dependent pregnant women at BC Women’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia to daily acupuncture treatments versus usual care. By necessity, neither our participants nor acupuncturists were blinded as to treatment allocation. Our primary outcome was days of neonatal morphine treatment for symptoms of neonatal withdrawal. Secondary neonatal outcomes included admission to a neonatal ICU and transfer to foster care.ResultsWe randomized 50 women to acupuncture and 39 to standard care. When analyzed by randomized groups, we did not find benefit of acupuncture; the average length of treatment with morphine for newborns in the acupuncture group was 2.7 (6.3) compared to 2.8 (7.0) in the control group. Among newborns of women who were compliant with the acupuncture regime, we observed a reduction of 2.1 and 1.5 days in length of treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome compared to the non-compliant and control groups, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant.ConclusionsAcupuncture may be a safe and feasible treatment to assist mothers to reduce their dosage of methadone. Our results should encourage ongoing studies to test the ability of acupuncture to mitigate the severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome among their newborns.Clinical Trial Registrationhttp://www.clinicaltrials.gov registry: W05-0041

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“…In 2005, Janssen et al described the use of the NADA protocol to reduce substance use in the marginalized, transient population of Downtown Eastside Vancouver, British Columbia 39. NADA treatments were offered on a voluntary, drop-in basis 5 days per week.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association protocol, auricular acupuncture to support patients with substance abuse and behavioral health disorders: current perspectives

Stuyt¹,

Voyles²

2016

SAR

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The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA)-standardized 3- to 5-point ear acupuncture protocol, born of a community-minded response to turbulent times not unlike today, has evolved into the most widely implemented acupuncture-assisted protocol, not only for substance abuse, but also for broad behavioral health applications. This evolution happened despite inconsistent research support. This review highlights the history of the protocol and the research that followed its development. Promising, early randomized-controlled trials were followed by a mixed field of positive and negative studies that may serve as a whole to prove that NADA, despite its apparent simplicity, is neither a reductive nor an independent treatment, and the need to refine the research approaches. Particularly focusing on the last decade and its array of trials that elucidate aspects of NADA application and effects, the authors recommend that, going forward, research continues to explore the comparison of the NADA protocol added to accepted treatments to those treatments alone, recognizing that it is not a stand-alone procedure but a psychosocial intervention that affects the whole person and can augment outcomes from other treatment modalities.

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Acupuncture for Substance Abuse Treatment in the Dowtown Eastside of Vancouver

Cited by 13 publications

References 11 publications

Auricular acupuncture for chemically dependent pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial of the NADA protocol

Auricular acupuncture for chemically dependent pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial of the NADA protocol

Auricular acupuncture for chemically dependent pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial of the NADA protocol

The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association protocol, auricular acupuncture to support patients with substance abuse and behavioral health disorders: current perspectives

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